HomeAway

News Byte

HomeAway Buys Australian Rental Marketplace Stayz for Nearly $200 Million

Jason Del Rey in Commerce on December 4, 2013 at 8:15 am PT

HomeAway, the Austin-based vacation-rental company that operates VRBO.com and HomeAway.com, said today that it had acquired Australia’s Stayz Group for $198 million in cash. Stayz operates under a pay-per-booking model similar to the one that HomeAway announced in October it was testing on its namesake site.

Longtime Online Exec Tina Sharkey Joins Sherpa Foundry as CEO

Kara Swisher in News on October 22, 2013 at 11:00 am PT

An inside/outside exec will lead an effort to get corporations to think more like startups — or get out of the way. (From someone who knows: Good luck with that!)

HomeAway Tests New Rental Booking Option

Liz Gannes in Commerce on October 17, 2013 at 8:14 am PT

“I know we lose a lot of customers who want to give it a try,” said HomeAway CEO Brian Sharples.

Former Groupon President and COO Solomon Joins Accel Partners

Kara Swisher in News on April 30, 2013 at 12:50 am PT

Every time a bell rings, a VC gets its wings.

HomeAway’s Director Susan Wojcicki Resigns to Spend More Time at Google

Tricia Duryee in Commerce on December 14, 2012 at 12:15 pm PT

Wojcicki joined HomeAway’s board in April 2011, right before the company went public, and is leaving to concentrate on her responsibilities at Google.

News Byte

HomeAway Enables Rentals to Be Placed Online With Credit Cards

Tricia Duryee in Commerce on November 5, 2012 at 8:32 am PT

HomeAway, the publicly held company that manages vacation rentals sites, including VRBO.com, is now enabling homeowners to accept payments with a credit card. Once a traveler books accommodations, the two parties have 24 hours to work out the details. The company said online bookings will allow it to transition to a pay-per-booking model, where homeowners can list their property for free and pay a commission at the time of booking, rather than paying an upfront fee.

Tech Companies Rejoice! IVP’s New Jumbo Fund Totals $1 Billion.

Tricia Duryee in News on June 28, 2012 at 4:00 am PT

Silicon Valley’s Institutional Venture Partners is announcing a new fund today, worth $1 billion, that it will be putting toward later-stage technology companies.

Hipmunk Plans to Take Off Internationally With $15 Million in New Capital

Tricia Duryee in Commerce on June 12, 2012 at 9:03 am PT

Hipmunk, the offbeat travel site that has made “taking the agony out of travel planning” its tagline, says it has raised $15 million in a second round of funding.

Tripping Becomes a Kayak for Home Rentals and Couchsurfing

Liz Gannes in Commerce on May 16, 2012 at 8:09 am PT

Tripping now includes home rentals through partnerships with FlipKey, HomeAway and Roomorama.

News Byte

HomeAway Buys Spanish Vacation Rentals Site Top Rural

Tricia Duryee in Commerce on April 2, 2012 at 11:17 am PT

HomeAway has acquired Top Rural S.L., which offers vacation rentals in France, Spain, Italy and Portugal. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, except that it was an all-cash transaction. HomeAway will provide more details during its first-quarter earnings report on April 24. UPDATE: In a filing, the company said it paid 14 million euros, or roughly $18.7 million in cash.